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A Health Care Update

Washington, DC, December 3, 2013
Before coming to Washington, I worked as a physician for over 25 years in southern Ohio and as an Army combat surgeon.

Day in and day out, I cared for patients and dealt with insurance companies. I know full well the health care challenges that are before us, and I know that the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, fails to solve these challenges.

The law has proven to be an unworkable exercise in unprecedented government growth and regulation. We’re seeing the harmful consequences of a poorly written law and an over intrusive government.

That’s why I repeatedly voted to fully repeal the law and to delay the individual mandate.

But I’m not in Washington to simply talk about problems. I’m here to help find solutions. In this update, you will find proposals I support to lower costs, increase quality and choice, and strengthen the doctor-patient relationship.

I also invite you to take a few moments to complete my health care survey. It will help me continue to serve as your voice in Washington.

And, as always, if there’s anything I can do to better serve you and your family, please do not hesitate to contact me at one of my office locations.

The American Health Care Reform Act H.R. 3121

As a physician, I take the centuries-old oath of health care professionals, “Do no harm,” seriously.  It is time for Washington lawmakers to take a similar approach when working to fix the problems that exist in our broken health care system.  Simply repealing the President's health care law is not enough—it must be replaced with patient-centered reforms rooted in free markets. Listen to the bill's author, Rep. Phil Roe, and me talk about the legislation with Brian Thomas on 55KRC this week.

H.R. 3121 will lower costs and solve problems in our health care system:

  • Fully repeals President Obama's health care law, eliminating billions in taxes and tens of thousands of pages of unworkable regulations and mandates that are driving up health care costs.
  • Spurs competition to lower health care costs by allowing Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines and enabling small businesses to pool together and get the same buying power as large corporations.
  • Reforms medical malpractice laws in a commonsense way that limits trial lawyer fees and non-economic damages while maintaining strong protections for patients.
  • Provides tax reform that allows families and individuals to deduct health care costs, just like companies, leveling the playing field and providing all Americans with a standard deduction for health insurance.
  • Expands access to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), increasing the amount of pre-tax dollars individuals can deposit into transferable savings accounts to be used for health care expenses.
  • Safeguards individuals with pre-existing conditions from being discriminated against purchasing health insurance by bolstering state-based high risk pools and extending HIPAA guaranteed availability protections.

Read more here: http://rsc.scalise.house.gov/solutions/rsc-betterway.htm


Impact in Ohio

Every day, I am hearing from  Ohioans who are facing increasing uncertainty as their health care premiums go up. their plans are cancelled, or their doctors dropped, and www.healthcare.gov continues to only cause headaches and hassles. Across the country, millions are losing coverage. Here is just one example of the letters I have received from southern Ohioans: 

 “My premiums are increasing from $316.21 a month to $866.65 a month, a 174% increase. My family doesn't qualify for any subsidies under the Affordable Care Act because our income is a little over the threshold. If the ACA is allowed to stand my family will have to come up with an extra $6,605.28 next year and we can't afford that.”                                                                                                   
–Don from Loveland 

Share your Obamacare Story:
www.Wenstrup.House.Gov/Contact


Take my 3 Question Health Care Survey

More Resources
A detailed timeline of the Obamacare federal exchange, Healthcare.gov

Pages and pages of examples of real-world harm being caused across America by Obamacare.

List of Republican health care related initiatives introduced this year.